


Fall Festival

by danithegirl



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfam Content War, Batfam halloween content war, Fluff, Gen, Halloween Content War, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-23 22:51:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12518392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danithegirl/pseuds/danithegirl
Summary: The batkids go to a fall festival to show Damian what it's all about! There's exasperated Tim, the joys of fall festivals, and happy siblings all throughout. A rare day where everyone (mostly) gets along. Super fluffy, I just love it when these kids are happy!Written for Batfam Halloween Content War on tumblr!Day two prompt: Celebration.





	Fall Festival

Tim picked up his phone from where it was buzzing on the table. Caller ID said it was Tam, so he pushed the button and answered it. “Hello?”

“Yeah, uh, any reason you cancelled literally EVERYTHING you had planned for tomorrow?”

Tim blinked. “What?”

“Yeah. My dad told me you had a meeting with the board tomorrow afternoon and you cancelled it. I thought it was weird, but then I saw that you’d cancelled two other afternoon appointments you had! What’s going on?” Tam sounded frustrated and a little hysterical.

Tim really didn’t understand. There’s no way he would’ve cancelled those meetings, and he was already on Tam’s bad side at the moment. “Okay wait, I know I had to cancel a couple last week, but I didn’t-“ Tim paused as he saw Dick stealthily slipping around the corner to reach for the fridge handle. “Hold on, Tam.”

Tim watched his brother silently. Dick continued to slowly open the fridge and grab the milk. As if Tim wouldn’t see him if he moved slow enough. 

“Dick, do you know about this?”

“About what?” He slowly unscrewed the cap on the milk, avoiding eye contact with Tim.

“…Dick…”

“You’re gonna go with me to the Fall Festival tomorrow with me and Dami.” Dick looked up at him and smiled apologetically.

Tim blinked for a moment, then looked at the ceiling and took five seconds to breathe. “Okay,” he said to Tam again. “I’m really sorry Tam, something came up. I had to cancel.”

“Tim, I- That’s such an obvious lie! You just said you didn’t- I HEARD you talking to your brother!”

Tim felt a little guilty over making his poor coworker hysterical but he smiled a little despite himself. “Sorry. I’ll reschedule them, I promise. I’ll talk to you later, Tam.”

“Ugh.” Click. 

Tim sighed and rolled his eyes to where Dick was drinking milk from the carton in front of the fridge. “At least some warning next time, yeah? I would’ve done it myself if I knew it was something this important to you.” 

Dick screwed the cap back on the milk and set it back in the fridge. He rubbed his neck apologetically and came over to sit next to Tim. “I know you would’ve…but it was kinda more fun this way.” Tim watched as Dick’s eyes sparkled and even though he was only smiling softly, his eyes betrayed a mischievous grin. 

Tim was silent for a moment. “Why do you want me to go so bad?”

Dick hummed for a second. “Because Dami thinks it’s for little kids, and it you go, then he’ll be okay with it. He looks up to you.”

Tim almost laughed. “He hates my guts.”

Dick thought for a moment. “He doesn’t hate you… you’re just the easiest to pick on.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Dick punched his shoulder lightly. “And he really does look up to you, actually. He sometimes says weird millennial phrases that even I don’t understand. It makes me feel old. That is all one hundred percent you and Steph.” Tim chuckled a little, but then Dick got serious. “He does respect you, though, you have to know that.”

Tim thought about it for a while and then sighed. “I mean I’m not gonna say no…where’s the festival?”

Tim saw Dick actually light up. He leaned forward and wrapped his long arms around Tim even from their uncomfortable angle. “Ahh thank you Timmy! Don’t worry about it, you’re riding with me and Dami. We’re also picking up Stephanie and Cass. Jason will meet us there.”

Tim chuckles. “Do they know that yet?”

Dick grinned. “They will.” 

\---

The next day, when they all got to the festival, Dick went off to get their tickets and wristbands and left the others at the entrance to wait for Jason. Stephanie explained excitedly to Cass how she used to come every year with her school to pick out pumpkins. Tim laughed and remembered aloud the time they came together for a field trip and Steph tripped over a haybale and fell flat on her face. By the time Dick came back with food tickets and six wristbands, Jason had also shown up and everyone was listening to Steph talk about the homemade pie contests. Damian seemed curious but wary, and Dick could tell that he was a little nervous. He had never been to a fall celebration before, so everything was so new to him. 

“The pies are one of the best parts of the whole experience! We have to go there and check them out! Ooh, and I think they have apple cider in that area too!” Stephanie bounced on her feet as she explained with her hands, and Damian looked skeptical. 

“How do you know they’re not poisoned? If they are home made, is there some sort of security check? Do they test them first?” Damian sounded genuinely curious, which both amused and worried Dick a little. 

Dick laughed a little exasperated already. Damian was raised to be untrusting, and despite the tremendous progress they’ve made, he still had a long way to go. “Damian no, this is a festival. There’s kids here and stuff… the pie won’t kill us.”

Damian grumbled and hunched his shoulders up defensively, sensing that they thought he was being paranoid. “It might.” 

Jason shrugged. “It is Gotham.”

Dick smacked him on the back of the head. “Not funny.” 

Jason rubbed his head and tried to hold back a grin. “I thought it was,” he mumbled under his breath. 

“Alright, everyone takes one wristband and five tickets. Wristbands get you all the activities and one pumpkin. You’ve got five food tickets so use them wisely,” Dick explained, tearing off the tickets and handing them out. 

As they all fixed the wristbands on, Stephanie gasped and pointed behind Damian. “Cass, pumpkin bowling! You’d be so good at this, c’mon!” Dick smiled as Steph pulled Cass by the hand, and grabbed hold of Damian’s sleeve as well. “Come on demon, let’s go wreck some little kids in pumpkin bowling.”

Damian spluttered for a second, looking at Dick wide-eyed, before following Steph and Cass, surprisingly allowing her to keep hold of his jacket sleeve. Dick watched as they ran off towards the crowd. 

Jason nudged Tim and gestured to Dick with his head. “Look at him fawning over his baby siblings. It’s disgusting.”

Dick broke his adoring look towards the girls and Damian to glare at Tim and Jason as they both snickered. 

“Let’s get some food, I’m starving,” Tim said starting towards the food trucks. Dick and Jason followed, keeping up light conversation along the way. 

\---

The whole day went on like this, the six of them meeting up for food and breaking up for some activities. Damian tried his first slice of pumpkin pie, they all painted small pumpkins, the girls went off to learn how to dip candles. 

By the end of the day, as the sun fell lower in the sky and the wind got cold enough to make them shiver through their jackets and scarves, they packed up to go back home. Alfred insisted that they all come back to the manor for a warm dinner, so they headed back and even Jason followed close behind on his motorcycle. 

When they got back with frozen fingers and red noses, Alfred turned on the fireplace and served up dinner. Bruce sat at the table as well, which is an increasingly less common occurrence, so Alfred was in a very good mood. They all chattered loudly over the table, retelling the events of the day to Bruce and Alfred. At one point, Cassandra handed Damian the tiny white pumpkin she had painted on, with little bats and pawprints all over it. Damian looked surprised, but Cassandra and Dick could see the warmth filling him up at the gesture. He even thanked her quietly, and set the pumpkin next to his glass like a decoration. 

Cass and Steph then handed Alfred the fall-colored candles they had dipped for him, wrapped with little twine bows. He smiled and kissed each girl on the forehead, proceeding to switch out the current candle holders with the new decorations. 

\---

After dinner, Dick convinced them all to move to the living room and watch a Halloween movie to finish off their amazing day. 

They ended up watching three movies, and by the middle of the third, the room was a mess. Popcorn and candy corn had been thrown around at each other, and blankets were pulled out of the linen closet, at least two for each person. 

So by the time Bruce checked in on them before he went out to work for the night, he could hardly believe his eyes. Damian had fallen asleep with Cass curled up to one side and Steph sprawled on his other side, with a sleeping Titus at their feet. Tim had fallen asleep curled up in Bruce’s recliner, and Jason was sprawled over most of the couch, long legs dangling off the end. His head rested on a pillow that was leaned against a sleeping Dick, who was also curled up on the couch, but tipped over sideways against the armrest. The fireplace in the room made it warm but not hot. Bruce took a few minutes to admire his kids before he had to go into the cold night. 

After a couple minutes, he realized that Dick was blinking blearily up at him from his spot on the couch. 

“Bruce?” Dick’s voice was quiet and thick with sleep. 

“Yeah.” 

“Don’t go out tonight. It’s too cold,” Dick mumbled quietly. Bruce knew he must be mostly asleep, but still. Bruce had been out in much colder weather than this – Gotham winters were not kind. He knew that it really wasn’t that cold outside, and Dick was just half asleep. But something – probably Dick’s mind controlling powers that he had sometimes – told him to stay in. Just for the one night. It didn’t sound like such a bad idea. 

“Okay,” he whispered, moving closer to Dick, whose eyes had slid shut again by this point. 

Bruce reached for his oldest son’s hair and carefully brushed it out of his eyes. 

“It was such as good day. The best,” Dick mumbled slowly, eyes still closed. Bruce was hit with a realization. He was no stranger to seeing Dick tired. Half-asleep, sometimes dozing on couches or half-slumped over the breakfast table. Dick had a horrible tendency to overwork himself – to push his limits until he needed sleep. But this was different. Dick wasn’t tired because he was exhausted, he was just tired after having a full, exciting day with his siblings. There were no dark circles under his eyes, no half-true smiles. He was surrounded by the warmth of his family, and that’s why he was content to sleep. 

“I’m glad,” Bruce said quietly. 

“Nobody even really fought. I haven’t seen Jason smile this much for… a long time.” Dick’s hand subconsciously moved down to touch the pillow Jason’s head was on. “Nobody got poisoned by the pies.” Bruce almost chuckled at this. Dick really must be half asleep. “I wish you were there,” Dick mumbled, cracking an eye open to look at Bruce, suddenly a little sad. 

Bruce paused, his heart hurting just the slightest bit. The words I do too lingered on his tongue, but he didn’t say them. “Next time, Dick. I promise.” 

“Mmm.” Dick seemed satisfied with this, because like a light, he closed his eyes and was out again. 

Bruce stood and admired his wonderful children one more time, catching sight of Cassandra’s dark eyes watching him. She stayed where she was, curled against Damian, but her eyes looked warm and she smiled at Bruce. She delicately moved her hand to show him the “I love you” sign. 

Bruce smiled gently and signed it back. Cassandra’s smile grew and she situated herself back into Damian, who didn’t stir. 

Bruce slipped out of the room silently, thinking of Dick’s words. Even though he wasn’t a part of it, he is beyond glad that his kids had a wonderful day. He knows it usually doesn’t go so well trying to get their family to spend time together. Bruce made a mental note to properly thank Dick for arranging the whole thing, and headed off to bed for the night.


End file.
